Burton v. United States

60 F. Supp. 212, 104 Ct. Cl. 26, 33 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 1317, 1945 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 68
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedMay 7, 1945
DocketNo. 45735
StatusPublished

This text of 60 F. Supp. 212 (Burton v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Burton v. United States, 60 F. Supp. 212, 104 Ct. Cl. 26, 33 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 1317, 1945 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 68 (cc 1945).

Opinion

MaddeN, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

The plaintiff complains that he was required to pay a federal gift tax larger by $5,901.76 than the law required, on gifts made by him in 1936 in trust for his children and grandchildren. In that year he executed a declaration of trust, the pertinent provisions of which are quoted at length in finding 3. The question here litigated is whether the interests given to the plaintiff’s children and grandchildren by the trust instrument were, as the Government claims, future interests. The Internal Kevenue Act of 1932, in Section 501, imposed a tax on gifts, whether in trust or otherwise, and in Section 502 provided how the tax should be computed. Section 504 provided:

Seo. 504. Net gifts.
(a) General definition. — The term “net gifts” means the total amount of gifts made during the calendar year, less the deductions provided in section 505.
[33]*33(b) Gifts less than $5,000. — In the case of gifts (other than of future interests in property) made to any person, by the donor during the calendar year, the first $3,000 of such gifts to such person shall not, for the purposes of subsection (a), be included in the total amount of gifts made during such year.

Article 11, Treasury Department Regulations 70 (1936 Edition), relating to the exclusions under Section 504 (b), supra.) is as follows:

Akt. 11. Future interests in property. — No part of the value of a gift of a future interest may be excluded in determining the total amount of gifts made during the calendar year. “Future interests” is a legal term, and includes reversions, remainders, and other interests or estates, whether vested or contingent, and whether or not supported by a particular interest or estate, which are limited to commence in use, possession, or enjoyment at some future date or time. * * * But a future interest or interests in such contractual obligations may be created by the limitations contained in a trust or other instrument of transfer employed in effecting a gift. For valuation of future interests, see subdivision (7) of article 19.

There were five children and nine grandchildren alive at the time the gifts here in question were put into the trust. If the interests of the fourteen beneficiaries were not future interests, then the donor, the plaintiff, was entitled to take a deduction of $5,000.for each of them, or $70,000 in all, in computing the amount of his gifts in that year for gift-tax purposes. If the interests of the beneficiaries were future interests, only one deduction of $5,000, that on the gift to the trustees, could be taken. The plaintiff, pursuant to a deficiency notice from the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, paid a gift tax on the basis of only one deduction of $5,000, and sues here to recover the difference between that payment and what he would have paid if he had been allowed fourteen deductions of $5,000 each.

Paragraph 5 of the trust instrument, quoted in finding 3, named the plaintiff’s five children individually, but only designated the grandchildren as a group. It directed the trustee, subject to the power given in paragraph 7, to provide for the welfare of the plaintiff’s wife out of income or princi[34]*34pal, to “allocate” the net income of the trust, 50% to the five named children and 50% to the grandchildren—

and as often and in such amounts as the trustees shall deem advisable disbursement thereof shall be made in the manner following: Fifty percent (50%) thereof shall be divided equally among grantor’s five children, if living, and fifty (50%) percent thereof shall be distributed equally among grantor’s grandchildren as a group.

The paragraph then provided that if at any time prior to the termination of the trust a child died, that child’s children should take the amounts which the child “would have received if living” but if the child died without issue such amounts should be paid to the grandchildren as a group. It made the same provision for the case of the death of a grandchild during the life of the trust. It provided that distribution of income or principal to grandchildren as a group should be made, not per stirpes, but share and share alike, and said—

if hereafter issue are bom to any of grantor’s children such future born issue shall be entitled to participate in the same manner and to the same extent as if now living.

Paragraph 6 provided that the trust could be terminated by the unanimous action of the trustees at any time after ten years, and should in any event terminate at the end of 21 years; and that at termination all remaining principal and income should be distributed among the children and grandchildren in the manner provided in paragraph 5 for the distribution of income. Paragraph 7, as we have said, gave the trustees power “if a condition shall hereafter arise which, in the opinion of the trustees, makes it necessary or desirable that provision be made for the maintenance or welfare of” the grantor’s wife, to use income or principal “to provide adequately” for her. Paragraph 8 was as follows:

8. The respective interests of beneficiaries in the trust fund created hereby shall in no case vest in such beneficiaries until they, respectively, shall become entitled to receive and demand, absolutely and forthwith, the income or principal of the said trust fund to which they, respectively, may be entitled hereunder, and such bene[35]*35ficiaries shall have no control whatsoever over, or interest in, said trust fund, except as herein provided; and they shall have no right or authority to assign or anticipate any income or share to which they may be entitled under the provisions of this agreement, and the interests of said beneficiaries and each of them, either in the principal or the income, shall not be liable in any manner or to any extent for the obligations or liabilities, voluntary or involuntary, of the said beneficiaries, or either of them, of whatsoever character.

Paragraph 9 provided that whenever payments were to be made, except final distribution at the termination of the trust, to any minor beneficiary, they might be made, in the sole discretion of the trustees, to the minor, either of his parents, his guardian, persons with whom he resided, or to persons who had furnished services or property or maintenance or support to the minor. Paragraph 10 directed the trustees to render an annual account to each adult beneficiary. Paragraph 16 directed the trustees to keep proper accounts, and to allow them to be inspected by any adult beneficiary.

We think the gifts here involved were gifts of future interests. As to the corpus of the property given, we do not understand the plaintiff to contend otherwise. Who would get the corpus at the termination of the trust was, and will be until that termination, uncertain. Those of the children, and of the grandchildren living at the creation of the trust, and of other grandchildren born since that time, who are alive at the time of the termination, will get the corpus. The gift is, as to each, contingent upon the existence of a state of affairs at a future time. It is a future interest, by any definition.

The gift of income was, at the time the property was put into the trust, likewise future and uncertain. The Government claims that, under the trust, the income could have been accumulated by the trustees until the termination of the trust.

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324 U.S. 18 (Supreme Court, 1945)

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Bluebook (online)
60 F. Supp. 212, 104 Ct. Cl. 26, 33 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 1317, 1945 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 68, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/burton-v-united-states-cc-1945.